Improved marine propcller



, State of Ohio,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVED AMARINE PROPELLERr- Speciiication forming part of Lettersv Patent No. 36,492, dated September 1d, 1862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, W. H. WILLARD, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and have invented new and useful Improvements in Propeller-Wheels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and complete description or" the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view. Fig. 2is an end view. Fig. 3 is a side view, and Fig. 4 is a single bucket detached. l

My improvement embraces three points of novelty:

Fiisr. Making the wheel in sections of one bucket each.

Second. Making the buckets adjustable on the shaft, so that four, three, or two may be used and so adjusted as to balance each other. For example, if the Wheelis originallycomposed of four buckets, aud one of them should become accidentally broken, the remaining three could be adjusted tothe position seen in Fig. 2; or in case of necessity, should there be but two remaioingbuckets, these could be adjusted to opposite sides of the shaft, so that the wheel would balance.

Third. The means of adjustment, which are such that these changes can be made either at sca or iu port without going' into dry-dock.

y A in Figs. l and 3 represents the shaft, which is of the ordinary construction. A key-seat, vi, Fig. 2, is out upon the shaft, as usual, for the purpose of securing the various sections of the wheel, as hereinafter specified, by means ofthe key a, Fig. 3.

The buckets B B" are madeeach separate from the other, as seen in Fig. 4. The face of the bucket has an increasing curve, as seen'in Fig. 3, B; but I lay noclaim to this feature. The whole bucket may be made of cast or wrought metal. I muchl prefer the latter, as

much greater strength can be obtained with less weight of material. The head or hub C is fitted to pass over the shaft, and in it (the hub) is cut two' or more key-seats in such position that the same key will fit the seat in both the shaft and hub, whether. the adj uslment is for two, three, or four buckets, as seen at e 0 u in Fig. 4. In addition to these, there is a set-screw, m, tted to each of the hubs C,4

which, whenA screwed down upon the shaft, aids in holding the bucketin place. The arm D ofthe bucket is a triangular oval, so formed as to oiier the least possible resistance to its passage through the water.A I

Now, suppose a wheel to be constructed with three buckets, and when upon a voyage one of them, B", Fig. 2, should become accidentally broken, it would become desirable and necessary, in order to secure the correct working of the engine and the greatest speed,to adjust the bucketB upon the shaft so that it be opposite to the bucket B, and by means of my improvement this could be accomplished even with the By loosening the set-screw m and withdrawing the key a the bucket B" shaft below water.

can be easily adjusted to its desired position. The set-screw can be again tightened and the key driven in, which would now fit into the seat e, Fig. 2, in the hub of the bucket..l

What l claim as my improvement, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

`1. Making the hub in sections correspond- I ing in number to the number of buckets, each bucket and its section'of hub being united and forming one piece, as herein described.

2. So arranging the key-seats in the respective sections of the hub thatthese may be ad-- j usted in sets of four, three, or two, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

W. H, INILLARD.A Witnesses: Y

W. H. -BURRIDGE, j J. BRAINERD. 

